After recovering a journal from his home, police say they are still unsure of why nineteen-year-old Darion Marcus Aguliar killed two people at a Maryland Mall Saturday before he took his own life. Aguilar, who was found with a shotgun and homemade explosives, had no prior criminal record. Read full story.

An agreement to allow women and children to leave a Syrian city under siege by the government was the first sign of peace talks between two factions entrenched in civil war. Little progress has been made since the international community began pressuring the Syrian government to resolve the conflict. Read full story.

President Barack Obama will use his Tuesday State of the Union Address to implore Congressional action on the growing economic disparity between rich and poor Americans. The president says he will work with the politically divided Congress when he can, but will use executive action to circumvent them when he must.

Most of the Midwest is expected to face extreme cold this week as an unusual weather pattern drives cold Arctic air south. Midwestern cities like Minneapolis, St. Louis and Chicago are anticipating record-cold wind-chill in what is expected to be a historic deep freeze.

Contact Tyler Kieslich at [email protected].